92-year-old killed by Atlanta police in Georgia
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Many people on the
run-down northwest Atlanta street where Kathryn Johnston lived fortify their
windows with metal bars and arm themselves for protection.
Johnston, 92, was no exception.
Alone in her home, she was waiting with her
gun on Tuesday night when a group of plainclothes officers with a warrant
knocked down her door in a search for drugs, police said.
She opened fire, wounding three officers,
before being shot to death, police said. (Watch niece's fury at police shooting
)
Assistant Police Chief Alan Dreher called
the killing "tragic and unfortunate" but said the officers were justified in
returning fire.
"You don't know who's in the house until
you open that door," Dreher said Wednesday. "And once they forced open the door,
they were immediately fired upon."
The Rev. Markel Hutchins, a civil rights
activist and spokesman for Johnston's family, said he could understand why the
elderly woman would arm herself.
"She was afraid," Hutchins said. "This is a
horrifying situation in a neighborhood where crime happens often. This incident
is a result of a mix-up."
The officers had gone to the old woman's
house with a search warrant after buying drugs there from a man known only as
Sam, police said. (Watch what police and family say about the shooting -- 2:53 )
Police issued a "John Doe" warrant on
Wednesday for the arrest of Sam, believed to be in his early to mid 30s, who
allegedly sold the drugs to the undercover agent.
Dreher would not say how the dealer knew
Johnston.
Investigators also said they found drugs in
the home after Johnston was killed.
Officer Joe Cobb, a police spokesman, said
the type of drug involved would not be disclosed until it was verified by the
crime lab.
District Attorney Paul Howard said his
office is looking into the shooting but that a preliminary review indicated the
officers had a right to search the home.
Crime and drugs are a part of the landscape
in the rough neighborhood where Johnston lived, and her neighbors said they do
what it takes to protect themselves.
"It's the roughest neighborhood in
Georgia," said 56-year-old Allen Pernel, who lives a few blocks from Johnston's
home. "If she thought somebody was coming into her house, she did what any of us
would have done."
Al Harley, a 50-year-old homeless man who
hangs out in front of a neighborhood convenience store, said residents follow a
sort of credo: "Don't let anyone disrespect your door."
The police chief said the officers had
identified themselves and then forced open the door of Johnston's house where
she had lived for 17 years.
Investigator Gary Smith, 38, was shot in
the leg and Investigator Cary Bond, 38, was struck in the arm.
Investigator Gregg Junnier, 40, was hit in
the leg, the face and his bulletproof vest. They were taken to the hospital and
are expected to recover.
Johnston had no children and her closest
relative was a 75-year-old niece, neighbors said.
"She hardly came outside her home," said
Tameka Walker, 28, who lives behind Johnston's house and used to visit her.
"She's not a 92-year-old grouchy old woman you think she was. She's a very nice
person."
